Sep 3, 2018

UK calls for 'immediate' release of Reuters reporters in Myanmar

Britain called for the "immediate" release of two Reuters journalists
jailed in Myanmar on Monday, saying the verdict had "undermined freedom
of the media".
"We are extremely disappointed with this verdict and sentencing and we
call for the journalists to be released immediately," said a spokesman
for Prime Minister Theresa May.

Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, are accused of breaching Myanmar's
state secrets law while reporting on a massacre of Rohingya Muslims and
were jailed for seven years, fuelling international outrage.

Mark Field, Britain's Minister for Asia and the Pacific, "said he was
"extremely disappointed" by the verdict, calling it a "bad day" for
Myanmar.

"They provided valuable reporting on abhorrent human rights violations
in Rakhine state, and I have consistently called for their immediate
release, including directly with the Burmese government," he said in a
statement.

"Journalists must be free to carry out their jobs without fear or intimidation," he added.